When we (Maria & Christina) visited the site, we learned what each of the parts of the foundations are called:
- Yellow towers = jacket foundations
- What we sometimes called “cigarettes” (the rust-and-yellow-coloured tubes) = pin piles
- What we have ALSO called “cigarettes” (the very big white-and-rust-coloured tubes) = monopiles
- Smaller yellow towers, round and shorter than the big guys (we have heard these called Minions) = transition pieces
What do you call the towers?
The yellow towers are at Port of Leith, managed by Forth Ports.
Here is a drone video of the jacket foundations, pin piles, and transition pieces, published 30 June 2026 by Ian McCracken
Here is another drone video published 2 November 2025 by user johng of the monopiles
The Seaway Alfa Lift vessel will come to collect the jackets at some point in the near future. You can track her progress and movements at the link.
Monopiles
“The arrival of the first XXL monopiles, each up to 103 metres long, weighing around 2300 tonnes and with diameters of 11.5 metres, marks the start of an intensive phase of construction for the flagship Scottish project.”
Write-up of monopile installation, done by the Les Alizés vessel (a huge crane ship which was also visible from Edinburgh for a while) “Les Alizés utilised a 5,000-tonne crane that reaches 160 metres at full height, along with a specially designed IQIP pile lifting tool as well as an IQIP hydraulic impact hammer to drive the monopiles into the seabed.”
Inch Cape Offshore
“The arrival of the first XXL monopiles, each up to 103 metres long, weighing around 2300 tonnes and with diameters of 11.5 metres, marks the start of an intensive phase of construction for the flagship Scottish project.”
Write-up of monopile installation, done by the Les Alizés vessel (a huge crane ship which was also visible from Edinburgh for a while) “Les Alizés utilised a 5,000-tonne crane that reaches 160 metres at full height, along with a specially designed IQIP pile lifting tool as well as an IQIP hydraulic impact hammer to drive the monopiles into the seabed.”
Inch Cape Offshore
“Jacket foundations are typically used where water depths exceed 55 metres and are designed for specific locations based on water depth, soil conditions and turbine size.
The jackets delivered to Leith are up to 83 metres tall and weigh between 2050 tonnes and 2250 tonnes.
Each foundation consists of a lattice steel framework with three legs and a transition piece that the wind turbine tower will be bolted to.”
Inch Cape Offshore
“The huge transition pieces have made a striking addition to the skyline in Edinburgh over the past six months. Each one stands at 28 metres tall, roughly the height of an eight-storey building, has an outer diameter of 8.3 meters, and weighs approximately 700 tonnes. They provide a stable interface between the project’s monopiles and the wind turbine towers which will be placed on top.”
Inch Cape Offshore